OPINION
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa will obviously be looking to build in the short-term in the upcoming January window, with promotion to the Premier League their main aim this season.
However, January occasionally throws up a few opportunities to build in the long-term with youngsters being shipped out by their clubs, and the Argentine must be on the lookout for any such deals.
One long-term opportunity that could be on the cards for Leeds involves West Ham starlet Reece Oxford, who looks like he could be on the way out in January.
According to The Sun, the 19-year-old is determined to remain in the Premier League if West Ham get rid in January, with the youngster worried that a Bundesliga return is on the cards with Borussia Monchengladbach.
Elsewhere, in the Daily Mail, they report that Oxford is ready to fight for his place at the London Stadium but will only accept a permanent exit should the club decide he is surplus to requirements.
Whatever the truth of the matter, it looks like Oxford is most definitely on rocky ground in east London, and that presents a no-brainer opportunity for Leeds.
The Whites have been linked with a swoop for Oxford on loan in the near past, and signing him on a permanent deal in January would be even more ideal.
The 19-year-old is still not quite there in terms of first-team football, but his potential is endless despite a stagnation in progress over the past season or so.
Leeds already have such a brilliant academy set-up, with so many players ready to come through, and adding Oxford to that would be such a cunning move.
Oxford would likely need just a few months in the Under-23 side before being ready to graduate to the first-team, and Leeds would then have a potential star on their hands.
With regards to the claims that he wants to remain in the Premier League, Leeds would likely be able to convince him to make the step down to the Championship due to their promising position in the promotion race.
All in all a swoop for Oxford on a permanent deal makes perfect sense for the Whites, and Victor Orta must now lay the groundwork to make it happen in January.